You Are What You Eat...

 

You’ve certainly heard the expression many times, “You are what you eat.” Have you ever really thought about what it means? And do you think about it when you’re making food choices?

In some ways, we do become what we eat, literally. Have you ever seen an example of your blood plasma after eating a fast food hamburger? What was previously a clear liquid becomes cloudy with the fat and cholesterol that’s absorbed from eating a high-fat hamburger.

And when you think about it, we also become what we don’t eat. When we switch from eating meat to a vegetarian-based diet, we become less fat, less prone to many types of cancers. Our cholesterol can improve. When we’re leaner and eating fewer animal products, then many other health and fitness issues are reduced. The incidence of Type II diabetes is reduced. Blood pressure falls into normal ranges. When you’re healthier, you’re taking fewer medications. Even if you have a prescription drug benefit in your health plan, you’re still saving money with fewer co-payments on medications.

If you have a family history of high cholesterol or high blood pressure, then it’s particularly incumbent on you to revise your eating habits. Moving towards a more vegetarian diet has been shown statistically to reduce the incidence of so many of the diseases of industrialized countries. Vegetarians are statistically healthier than omnivorous persons; they’re leaner and live longer.

Isn’t it time to think about what you want to be and to eat accordingly? Do you want to be sluggish and fat? Do you want the risk that goes with eating animal products, with their high fat content? Or do you want to look like and be what vegetarians are? Leaner and fitter with a longer anticipated lifespan. It’s never too late to change what you’re doing and increase your chances for a longer, fitter life.

Chocolate!!!

The origins of chocolate can be traced back to the ancient Mayan and Aztec civilizations which in Central America. Also known as 'Theobroma cacao', that meant 'food of the gods', was prized for centuries by the Central American Mayan Indians, who first enjoyed a much-prized spicy drink called 'chocolatl', made from roasted cocoa beans.

The Aztecs introduced cocoa to the Spaniards. The Spaniards then took cocoa back to Europe in the 16th century. However, because it was so expensive, only the rich could afford buying it. Chocolate was exclusively for drinking until the early Victorian times when a technique for making eatable solid chocolate was invented.

Throughout the history, whether as a cocoa drinking chocolate or scrumptious confectionery treat, chocolate has always been much sought after. Modern chocolate manufacturing allowed more people to buy chocolate and some individuals redesign the shape of eatable chocolate to make it more presentable and attractive.

The flavor of chocolate differs depending on the ingredients used and how it is prepared. Real chocolate is made from cocoa and its ingredients include cocoa butter (an expensive part of the cocoa bean) and, in some cases, up to 5% vegetable fat. Compound chocolate will have less cocoa and/or more than 5% vegetable fat than real chocolate and therefore doesn't have the same fine qualities.

Cocoa powder and chocolate are made from the dried seeds that are found in pods on the cacao tree. Chocolate production is a complex process that begins with the harvesting of cocoa trees.

Scrumptious Cakes

Cakes are a tasty, mouth-watering delicacy that is impossible to resist. Any celebration is incomplete without a cake these days.  Be it a birthday party, Engagement, Wedding, or a Mothers’ day and Fathers’, a cake is a must to celebrate all of them. These delicacies are given as thank you presents to someone we love.

They can be easily made at home with basic ingredients like flour, sugar, vanilla, milk, salt, and baking powder. One can prepare these desserts in different shapes in molds of their choice which are available in the market very easily these days. Different cake molds of different shapes like round, square, oval are obtainable without intricacy these days.

This sugary dessert is loved by the kids and adults equally and they are very alluring to the eyes, especially the chocolate flavor. One can make these cakes very easily at home or get it from a bakery shop that specializes in making these desserts. The different flavors in which one can make this dessert are vanilla, strawberry, cheese, pineapple, coffee, sponge, and chocolate. They can be easily prepared in 20-30 minutes in an oven. The only basic requirements for making them are proper proportion of ingredients and their thorough mixing till it becomes light and frothy. It is very easy to decorate them with icing sugar and butter and make it look even more tempting. There are many cake decoration suppliers all over the world that provide amazing cakes for birthday parties and special events. One can make them in different shapes and sizes depending on the theme of the party such as Upin Upin, Doraemon, Ladybird or even Kampung Boy.

Even an amateur can bake these sweet desserts easily with proper baking equipment and directions. One can learn different cakes decorating ideas and spring a treat for the family members. These sweet dishes can be decorated with icing or frosting. Most decorators make use of fondant icing to decorate the cakes and the decoration is done by making use of special cake accessories like piping bags, and various piping tips.